In the United States, we tend to call the best business and formal

looks and fits “European” or “Italian” or “British,”–

Edwardian Cut Brown Flannel Sport Suit

sometimes for good reason, and sometimes merely as a shorthand for saying that a look is “good” or “exciting” or somehow intangibly different from the basic relaxed New England look that we are used to seeing in the shops.
But if there is one area of tailoring that is truly American, it is sportswear.

To a certain extent, we inherited our love and notions of “sports” from the British. But sport always meant something a bit different to Americans than it did to the Brits.

Crown Shape Pockets and 1920s Style Cuffs

To the Brits “sport” centered around the country estate and the hunt—activities that one would do as a gentleman of leisure when outside of the city.

For Americans, this idea of sport was quickly eclipsed by the idea of strenuous activities that one did often for the sake of health and entertainment.

Crown Shaped Breast Pocket with Embroidered Crowsfoot Tacks

The tennis court, the golf course, the beach. Sailing, skiing, riding, fishing and even flying.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries men wore sport jackets for all of these activities.

Slim Fit Box Pleated Pant

Jackets with “action backs” to allow for a freedom of movement.

Jackets with throat latches to keep out the cold.

Shawl Collar Hand-Stitched Vest

Jackets from linen for the heat and sweat or from waxed cotton to keep out the rain.

The ideal man was not a man of leisure but a man of activity who needed to be ready for anything!

Suits made from matched cloth were replaced by separates.

Plaid Seersucker Sport Jacket

A jacket in one fabric, and a pant in another. Plaids, houndstooths, herringbones.

Eventually sportswear evolved into our basic everyday casual clothing. And in the late 20th Century came to mean nothing more than jeans and a t-shirt.

Linen Moto Vest

But now, when more and more men are trying to dress up and look good, an older, more authentic vision of sportswear has become relevant again.

Linen Back on Tweed Vest

We want to dress better. But we don’t want to be limited by the way that we dress.

We want durable fabrics that we can wear anywhere.

We want a full range of movement so that we can drive, throw a ball, or put away a bottle on the top shelf.

Most of all, an American aesthetic is about not being constrained.

Shawl Collar Donegal Tweed Vest

We buy big trucks instead of little cars, so that we can (at least in our imaginations) drive a rocky road to a forlorn mountain cabin or pack up all of our belongings to move to a new town.
Part of what Denver Bespoke and AJ Machete and Sons are about is a striving after an authentically American vision of tailoring.

We aren’t interested in recycling English and European fashions, either as a vision of James Bond or a British gent, or that perfectly spontaneous and romantic looking fellow at the Italian cafe.

1920s Style American "Swoosh" Breastpocket

We want something a bit more rugged. Maybe a bit more rustic.

Copper Stitching and Buttons with Herringbone Shirt

Something that fits in with the Rocky Mountains and the American West instead of the postcard version of a European capital.

Retro Tweed Pant with Wide Waistband

So we call our suits “American Suits”. But basically they are just suits for men who do things and who want to look good doing them.

All of our pieces our completely custom made. And we are one of the few tailors anywhere who work in a sportswear aesthetic and can make any detail that you have seen anywhere.

The vest is cut from a burgundy flannel with a vintage workingman’s style and the pants are cut from an iridescent wool with elements of brown, blue, and green.

The result is a jacket that draws upon some of the richest traditions in sportswear.

The pink and brown jacket (shown here are the autumn wedding that it was created for) is an example of how when the colors are well chosen even a very bold plaid blends in and compliments its surroundings.

Indeed plaid functioned as an early version of camouflage and is still the choice of many traditional sportsmen.

The medium greyish brown suit shows a much more subtle plaid. This fabric is a lightly brushed very fine glen plaid wool with multiple tones of brown and ivory.

This suit was cut for a groom who also wanted to be able to wear the suit to many work related events in the legislative world.

We designed a suit with subtle western touches. The jacket has early 20th century style cuffs (which we cut on the bias for maximum effect), a ticket pocket, and a decorative handwork buttonhole on the lapel.

The vest has a matching bias cut Western style yoke. But overall the suit has a very modern cut and is youthful and trim.

The charcoal and maroon check suit pictured shows an exception to the thought that plaid fabrics are primarily for daytime wear.

A small check like this one, although still quite sporty, has a more indoor look and can be great for business or for evenings out.

This suit was made for a jazz musician to wear while playing in the evening and while conducting business by day.

Overall, the suit combines mod and Victorian details to create an impression that is unique and very contemporary. This jacket also has sportsman’s cuffs which can be easily rolled up when playing an instrument.

While all of the other suits shown here are cut from wool, this suit was cut from a cotton blend as the customer is a vegan and prefers not to wear any animal products. The inner canvas and buttons are also animal product free.

The final look is a vest and pant outfit that draws upon the sporting looks of the Edwardian era.

This outfit is made from a wool/silk blend with a rich and complex glen plaid. The back of the vest is cut from tan linen that keeps you feeling dry in the summer heat.

The vest is cut with a wide pointed shawl collar that wraps around the back of the neck and the pants are cut with a wide 1920s style cuff.

This suit was made for summer and fall weekends, brunches and BBQs when something awesome and unique was needed, but when it seemed too hot and stuffy to wear a jacket.

All of our pieces are handmade one at a time here in our studio in Denver, Colorado.

So if you are thinking about a suit, jacket, or vest, please contact us so we can sketch some ideas for you and put together some swatches.

Most suits are made from wool. And for a good reason.

Wool is wonderfully durable, crisp, wrinkle-resistant.

It can be felted to become weather resistant, brushed to hold in heat, or given an open weave to breathe and wick in the heat.

We love wool, but sometimes we want a bit of novelty and one of the places we turn is to silk.

Just as some people mistakenly identify wool only with itchy and bulky hand-knit sweaters, silk is often pictured only as a light and shimmering satin.

But silk textures can differ completely depending on how the silk is processed and the fabric woven.

The pics show a couple of our most recent silk suits.

The tan and slate blue herringbone suit was made for a recent wedding on the coast of Scotland.

We designed the suit with classic seaside suit details with a hint in the top-stitched pocket style of a 1930s sport jacket.

But like all of our pieces we strove for a look that would feel timely.

The fabric for this suit is a thick silk tweed.

It is utterly dry to the hand and without luster. In this state, silk serves as a kind of warm season tweed.

Unlike a wool tweed which is much more of a fall/winter fabric that insulates, a silk tweed breathes beautifully.

The cobalt suit is closer to what most people think of when they think of silk.

It has lustre. It shines. The fabric is a silk duppioni.

The word duppioni comes from the Italian for “two pods” and the unique texture of the duppioni lies in the fact that it has many irregularities or “slubs” that are formed in the places where two silk worm pods were woven touching each other.

This fabric is particularly interesting in that the weave is iridescent with both blue and purple yarn. This gives the fabric extra depth.

Of course, a silk duppioni suit is not a work suit. Traditionally a duppioni suit would be worn in the tropics or on a cruise.

We made this suit for a wedding in Arizona where bright saturated colors look amazing in the sun.

But a silk duppioni suit like this, especially one with an iridescent tonic weave, is a great suit for the summer nightlife in any city.

If you have a unique suit in mind, we can make it.

Contact A.J. (aj@denverbespoke.com) to get started working on a custom piece.

All of our suits are muslin fit—we make a cotton prototype of the suit to fit on you before we even touch the fabric. You send us digital pics of yourself wearing it, and we can customize the pattern to look great on you.

The pictures of the wedding in Scotland are by Red Row Studio (www.redrowstudio.etsy.com) so if you are getting married in Scotland or want to buy some fine art prints, check out the wonderful work.